Social vulnerability to floods: Review of case studies and implications for measurement

Samuel Rufat (1) , Eric Tate (2) , Christopher G. Burton , Abu Sayeed Maroof

1 UCP - Université de Cergy Pontoise
2 University of Iowa [Iowa City]

A leading challenge in measuring social vulnerability to hazards is for output metrics to better reflect the context in which vulnerability occurs. Through a meta-analysis of 67 flood disaster case studies (1997–2013), this paper profiles the leading drivers of social vulnerability to floods. The results identify demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, and health as the leading empirical drivers of social vulnerability to damaging flood events. However, risk perception and coping capacity also featured prominently in the case studies, yet these factors tend to be poorly reflected in many social vulnerability indicators. The influence of social vulnerability drivers varied considerably by disaster stage and national setting, highlighting the importance of context in understanding social vulnerability precursors, processes, and outcomes. To help tailor quantitative indicators of social vulnerability to flood contexts, the article concludes with recommendations concerning temporal context, measurability, and indicator interrelationships.

Mots clés: Social vulnerability; Flood; Case studies; Indicators

Domaines: Géographie

Samuel Rufat, Eric Tate, Christopher G. Burton, Abu Sayeed Maroof. Social vulnerability to floods: Review of case studies and implications for measurement. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015, 14, pp.470-486. ⟨10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.09.013⟩. ⟨hal-02001690⟩